Beardie Substrates

[Fireflyshuffle]

hey guys, i have the putting turf, (the short flat green stuff) that i wanted to put in my beardies tank and one of my snake tanks.. have you got heat mats or anything under there? i know its silly, but would there be a risk of having heat mats under the turf?(i thought naturally there would, hving that underlayer or rubbery lining) any feedback would be great thanks

 

[gravitation]

hey guys, i have the putting turf, (the short flat green stuff) that i wanted to put in my beardies tank and one of my snake tanks.. have you got heat mats or anything under there? i know its silly, but would there be a risk of having heat mats under the turf?(i thought naturally there would, hving that underlayer or rubbery lining) any feedback would be great thanks

I don't think heatmats are very affective.
Beardeds absorb heat through the tops of their heads, when heat is felt on other areas of their bodies they arn't as good at judging when to move away from the heat source.

Stick with lamps and bulbs! : D

 

[Fireflyshuffle]

thanks captainpantspie, i was mainly speaking for the pythons, do you think it will be okay under the grass?

 

[bearded_bacon]

i have half fake grass and half tiles and he loves it...
I was sraying his enclosure to keep the moisture up and i forgot to turn of his lamp and some water got on and it blew.

 

[bearded_bacon]

careful when spraying

i was told today that a dish of water may not be safe,and that i should stick to spraying them,and possibly with a little calcium in the water..

With regards to feeding on the substrate,can you elaborate?

when you are spraying the enclosure make sure that you turn the lamp of because mine blew from accidentaly getting water on it

 

[Renagade]

i have half fake grass and half tiles and he loves it...
I was sraying his enclosure to keep the moisture up and i forgot to turn of his lamp and some water got on and it blew.

did you shower your beardy in glass?

 

[bearded_bacon]

what do you mean???

 

[bearded_bacon]

one question... how do you bthe your beardie???

 

[Australis]

one question... how do you bthe your beardie???

You dont..

 

[Australis]

Are you all insane? Why would you risk impaction of your beloved beardies?
It can happen, it does happen, quite frequently i might add.

I have lost beardies to impaction a loooooong time ago thanks to moronic herp store clerks that told me yeah yeah it's fine.

DO NOT USE SAND.

Safe, easy options; Newspaper based kitty litter, tiles, and newspaper obviously.
There is a relatively new product that i use made of wood chippings, but it looks like kitty litter.
It's safe and very very good with soaking up smells and moisture, i think it looks good too.

I forget the name of the product but you should be able to get it from most herp stores.
Here is a picture of the substrate.

First of yes, some members are insane.
I don't really care about dragon substrates, ive used sand and paper previously
both had good and bad points..

But i find it weird you suggest paper pellet type substrate as a safe alternative
over sand, it to has its problems.

 

[bearded_bacon]

how do tell the difference between male and female crickets

 

[gravitation]

First of yes, some members are insane.
I don't really care about dragon substrates, ive used sand and paper previously
both had good and bad points..

But i find it weird you suggest paper pellet type substrate as a safe alternative
over sand, it to has its problems.

Refer to the poll on how many dragons have died of impaction because i have explained my reasoning for using the substrate i do.

Sand is MUCH more problematic than the pellets i use.

and yeah i've sort of realised that alot of members here are more than a sandwich short of a picnic.

 

[Australis]

I don't know of the poll.

Compressed paper pellet type substrates can (and do) expand when ingested
this can be fatal, ive seen it myself... not in bearded dragons, but other lizards
like Bluey's.
Although i have no idea what paper pellets your using etc.

 

[junglepython2]

I wonder how many people that recommend sand for lizards have actually lost one due to impaction? It's all fine and dandy until your animal dies.

I wonder how many people who share your opinion have ever tried sand for themselves, or are they just going on hearsay, with no actual experience on the subject??

 

[gravitation]

I don't know of the poll.

Compressed paper pellet type substrates can (and do) expand when ingested
this can be fatal, ive seen it myself... not in bearded dragons, but other lizards
like Bluey's.
Although i have no idea what paper pellets your using etc.

They are wood chippings/newspaper litter based pellets, i'm ever so sick of going through this. I've conducted my own experiments to determine whether or not these pellets are safe for my lizards, and i've found them to be problem free, i can imagine they might be more of a problem for blueys as they eat alot differently to beardeds, in my experience beardeds don't munch anything they get there mouths over, they tend to realise when something is too solid or ill tasting.

My pellet substrate broke down and literally crumbled within a day of being in water, it didn't concrete up and forms the same consistency and the actual bearded dragon feeding pellets that i feed my beardies regularly.

I deem them a save option, and i can't say the same about sand.

*exhales* lol

 

[LunaLu]

Go the astro turf my jungle and my Sons' Beardie both have it in their enclosures and both love it.

 

[CodeRed]

They are wood chippings/newspaper litter based pellets, i'm ever so sick of going through this. I've conducted my own experiments to determine whether or not these pellets are safe for my lizards, and i've found them to be problem free, i can imagine they might be more of a problem for blueys as they eat alot differently to beardeds, in my experience beardeds don't munch anything they get there mouths over, they tend to realise when something is too solid or ill tasting.

My pellet substrate broke down and literally crumbled within a day of being in water, it didn't concrete up and forms the same consistency and the actual bearded dragon feeding pellets that i feed my beardies regularly.

I deem them a save option, and i can't say the same about sand.

*exhales* lol

Once more for the dummies ..

Take your little paper pellet and add 2 ml of water not 500 mls and see what happens. Guess what it doesnt break down it just swells up. A beardie isnt capable of producing enough moisture during digestion to disolve a pellet as you incorrectly claim. It will however produce enough moisture to significantly swell the pellet in size. This now creates an obviously dangerous situation.

If you cant understand that then I give up.

 

[gravitation]

Once more for the dummies ..

Take your little paper pellet and add 2 ml of water not 500 mls and see what happens. Guess what it doesnt break down it just swells up. A beardie isnt capable of producing enough moisture during digestion to disolve a pellet as you incorrectly claim. It will however produce enough moisture to significantly swell the pellet in size. This now creates an obviously dangerous situation.

If you cant understand that then I give up.

No not quite as much water, but powerful stomach acids.
And what are you trying to prove? You are keeping your dragons on sand anyways? So obviously you arn't overly concerned about the impaction factor because sand has been proven to be fatal to beardies MANY more times than pellets have, and even then it would'nt have necessarily been the same brand with the same ingredients and to be honest i have never witnessed a case of impaction caused by pellets, only sand.

I'm done arguing with morons.

and for the third time they are not souly paper based.

 

[Australis]

At least sand doesn't increase in size when ingested..
Adding wood or what ever the hell else is on those
pellets doesn't make them sound any better..ha
Your wrong x 4 .. and im done arguing with Mexicans.

 

[gravitation]

At least sand doesn't increase in size when ingested..
Adding wood or what ever the hell else is on those
pellets doesn't make them sound any better..ha
Your wrong x 4 .. and im done arguing with Mexicans.

Mexicans? What the hell kind of insult is that?
Sand concretes and forms one giant mass depending on how much the dragon has swallowed.
These pellets swell yes and when they do they begin to crumble, particles break off therefore making the pellet SMALLER in size.

Again, you guys are arguing that my substrate is dangerous? But i don't see why? You are both using the most lethal of substrates? What exactly is your point?